How colonists began governing themselves: the Mayflower Compact and the House of Burgesses
Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Use this
Who could take part in Massachusetts? Four cards, all summaries in our words. Card A, a rule (1631): the Massachusetts Bay General Court ordered that only church members could become freemen, the men who voted. Card B, a petition (1646): Robert Child and six other English settlers who were not church members asked the General Court to let them take part in government; the Court rejected the petition and fined its signers. Card C, a speech (1645): John Winthrop, governor and a leader of the colony, argued that liberty means freedom to do what is just and good under lawful authority, not freedom to do whatever one wishes; he spoke after being accused of overstepping his power. Card D: the Mayflower Compact (1620) named no religious test; its 41 signers were all men.
How do cards B and C show different views of liberty, Ari asks?
- B wants a voice in the rules; C stresses obeying lawful authority
- Both treat liberty as freedom to do whatever one wishes
- B stresses obeying lawful authority; C asks for a voice in the rules
- Both agree that church members alone should have the vote
Winthrop spoke after being accused of overstepping his power. How should Bo use card C, as evidence of how the colony was governed?
- As proof that the colony had no self-government
- As a leader defending authority, not a neutral report
- As worthless, since the speech was a defense
- As a neutral report, since governors record events accurately
The Court rejected the 1646 petition. What does that show about self-government in Massachusetts, Jun asks?
- The Court acted fairly, so the petition had no merit at that time
- It was limited to a group the Court defined
- The colony had no real self-government of any kind
- Each settler's voice counted equally in practice there
Which cards give the rule and show people objecting to it, Kira asks?
- A gives the rule; C shows men objecting to it
- A gives the rule; B shows men objecting to it
- B gives the rule; C shows men objecting to it
- C gives the rule; D shows men objecting to it
Compare the compact (card D) with the 1631 rule (card A). Which difference is supported, Luz asks?
- Plymouth and Massachusetts both let each man vote freely
- Massachusetts gave women the vote, and Plymouth did not
- Plymouth added a church test, and Massachusetts did not
- Both left out women; Massachusetts added a church test
Use this
Comparing who took part (summaries in our words from the National Park Service and the Library of Congress). Boston town meeting (1700s): usually white men who owned property could attend and vote. Body of the People (Old South Meeting House, Boston, November 29, 1773): a special meeting called over the tea crisis, not a regular town meeting; about 5,000 people packed the hall; wealthy men stood beside artisans, tradesmen and laborers, and people usually shut out stood and spoke. Virginia assembly (1700s): property-owning men elected the burgesses; the king appointed the governor, who could veto laws and dissolve the assembly. Colonial population (1770): about one in five people in the colonies was of African descent, most of them enslaved.
Which body shown had the widest participation, and what shows it, Milo asks?
- The Body of the People; laborers and others spoke up
- The colonial population, where one in five was of African descent
- The Virginia assembly, where burgesses were elected
- The town meeting, where property owners could vote
Why is the Body of the People weak evidence for ordinary participation, Noah asks?
- It was a special crisis meeting, not everyday practice
- It was run by the king's governor, so it shows royal control
- It was smaller than a usual town meeting in Boston
- It was not a real meeting, since it had no property rules
About one in five colonists was of African descent, most enslaved. What does that mean for claims that these bodies represented the people, Ren asks?
- Enslaved people held many seats in the colonial assemblies
- The share was too small to matter for claims about voting
- Enslaved people voted at the town meetings in Boston
- A large share of the population had no voice in any of them
A classmate says colonists were free from outside control. Which card detail best counters that, Tala asks?
- Boston held town meetings for property owners in the 1700s
- A royal governor could veto laws and dissolve the assembly
- About 5,000 people crowded into Old South Meeting House in 1773
- One in five colonists was of African descent, mostly enslaved
Which limit on voting appears in both Boston's town meetings and Virginia's elections, Zee asks?
- Owning property shaped who could vote
- Any free adult could vote
- Church membership shaped who could vote
- Age and a literacy test shaped who could vote